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We all know that Belgians are connoisseurs of fine chocolate, and Italy's gelato is an edible art form. In France, travellers look for tempting patisseries where they can indulge in eclairs, fruit tartes, and macarons.

North Americans in Germany expect to try the famous Black Forest cake, a mouthwatering concoction with alternating layers of schnapps-soaked chocolate cake, cherries, and whipped cream.

But dig a little deeper with your dessert spoon in Europe and you'll uncover a bounty of lesser-known treats to sweeten your trip abroad.

In Portugal, a wonderful local pastry is the cream tart called pastel de nata. Popular all over Portugal, this delicacy was born in Lisbon's Belem district, where locals have been coming to the famous pastry shop Casa Pasteis de Belem since 1837 to get them warm out of the oven.

Here and elsewhere, you'll also find various concoctions made from egg yolk and sugar, such as barriga de freiras ("nuns' belly") and papo de anjo ("angel's double chin").

For a quintessential taste of Lisbon, duck into one of the funky hole-in-the-wall shops throughout town and ask for ginjinha, a sweet liquor made from the sour cherry-like ginja berry, sugar, and schnapps. In Portugal, "Sabe melhor que nem ginjas" ("It tastes even better than ginja") is a high compliment.

In Italy, visitors headed to the gelato shops often overlook the country's tasty traditional cookies. In Rome's colourful Trastevere neighbourhood, pop into Biscottificio Artigiano Innocenti, a traditional bakery that's been there since the 1940s.

In the face of modern efficiency, humble Stefania Innocenti, who was "artisanal" long before it was cool, continues to bake the seasonal cookies that Italians love to eat.

Torta della Nonna ("grandmother's cake") has a creamy custard filling and is topped with pine nuts.

In Siena, look for panforte, a rich, chewy concoction of nuts, honey, and candied fruits that impresses even fruitcake-haters; and a chewy, white macaroon-and-almond cookie called ricciarelli. Throughout Italy you'll see vendors at little booths serving up grattachecca, shaved ice flavoured with sweet syrups like limoncocco (lemon and coconut with fresh chunks of coconut).

In Turkey, baklava -- thin layers of phyllo dough, baked and soaked in syrup -- has reigned as the queen of desserts for centuries. Of the countless variations, Turks tend to favour baklava with pistachios.

But don't stop there -- Turkey has much more to offer a sweet tooth. Try one of the various puddings Turks love: Sutlaç, rice pudding (or firin sutlaç, rice pudding with a burned top), and keskul, milk pudding with coconut, vanilla, and eggs.

Also look for ayva tatlisi, a quince dessert topped with crushed nuts, and sekerpare, cookies in honey syrup.

Some of the other offerings may seem unusual for a dessert tray: Kadayif, shredded wheat served with crushed nuts; kunefe, shredded wheat with unsalted cheese; and ekmak kadayifi, bread pudding served with kaymak, the thick cream of water buffalo milk.

Visitors to Norway, Sweden, or Denmark may not realize before they arrive how much Scandinavians love sweets. Bakeries (konditori) -- often marked by a golden pretzel hanging above the door -- fill their window cases with cakes, tarts, cookies and pastries. The most popular ingredients are marzipan, almonds, hazelnuts, chocolate, and fresh berries. Many cakes are covered with sheets of solid marzipan.

Scandinavian chocolate is some of the best in Europe. In Denmark, seek out Anthon Berg's dark chocolate and marzipan treats, as well as Toms' chocolate-covered caramels.

Licorice and gummy candies are also popular. Black licorice (lakrits) is at its best here, except for saltlakrits (salty licorice), which is not for the timid. Black licorice flavours everything from ice cream to chewing gum to liqueur.

Throughout Scandinavia, you'll find stores selling all varieties of candy in bulk. Look around at the customers in these stores -- they aren't all children.

As a traveller, you naturally want to relish the iconic desserts of Europe. And by all means do indulge in the creamiest gelato and crispiest croissants you can find.

But also make time to search out other delightful treats that bring joy to locals wherever you are. They're some of the sweetest things in European life.

Rick Steves (ricksteves.com) writes European travel guidebooks and hosts travel shows on public TV and radio. E-mail him at rick@ricksteves.com and follow his blog on Facebook.